Poachers killed by cops all SA citizens

By LUCKY TSABEDZE on October 06,2011

MBABANE – All the poachers who were shot dead by the police last week are South Africans.

After Lucky Maseko was identified last week, the two others have been identified as Fanafana Maseko, and Mduduzi Ma-tsebula.

The three are believed to have killed the white rhino at the Hlane Royal National Park last week. Fanafana is Lucky Maseko’s brother, and the trio has previously been arrested for poaching related crimes.

Resisted

The three were shot dead after they resisted arrest at Maphatsindvuku near Siteki.

Last year in September they were arrested at a roadblock in Nelspruit where they were found carrying two long range hunting rifles.

Lucky Maseko has been described as an accomplished criminal as he is believed to be responsible for the deaths of at least 10 rhinos at the Ehlandzeni district in Mpumalanga.

Post-mortem

Police public relations officer Superintendent Wendy Hleta said the suspects’ bodies could have already been released to relatives as the post-mortem had already been conducted.

"The bodies have already been identified and what we found out is that they are somehow related," said Hleta last night. Big Game Park’s Jubela Reilly added that Fanafana is believed to have been present during the killing of the first rhino at the Hlane Royal National Park in June.